PM Modi turns 75 today: Top 10 landmark campaigns that shaped his governance – from Swachh Bharat to Jan Dhan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is celebrating his birthday today, 17 September.

To mark his 75th birthday, the Prime Minister will launch the ‘Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar’ and ‘8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah’ campaigns at Dharat around 12 noon in Madhya Pradesh. He will also lay the foundation stone, launch several other initiatives, and address the gathering on the occasion.

Narendra Modi served as Gujarat Chief Minister for three consecutive terms (2001-14) and is now the Prime Minister for the third time since 2014. Over the past eleven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led a range of national campaigns across health, sanitation, women's welfare, housing, and financial inclusion.

Here is the list of ten key initiatives that the Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched since 2014:

1- Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan

Swachh Bharat Mission, the flagship cleanliness drive, was launched on 2 October 2014 and was PM Modi's first and most visible campaign since he became the Prime Minister of India for the first time in May 2014. The nationwide campaign aimed at eliminating open defecation and improving sanitation across India.

Over a 100 million household toilets were constructed, and more than 6 lakh villages were declared open defecation-free as part of this campaign.

2- Ayushman Bharat Yojana

The landmark health scheme, Ayushman Bharat Yojana was launched on 22 September 2018, a year before PM Modi's second term. Also known as PM-JAY, it became the world's largest government-funded health protection scheme, offering coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family annually.

The scheme has facilitated over 7 crore free hospital admissions, significantly reduced out-of-pocket expenditure, and expanded access to critical surgeries and treatments. It is also said to have pushed India toward digital health reforms through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, creating digital health IDs for millions of citizens.

3 - Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

The ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ aimed at providing affordable homes to rural and urban poor under theModi government's "Housing for All" efforts.

The housing scheme was launched in June 2015. The beneficiaries received subsidies for building and purchasing houses. The scheme focused on women and marginalised communities.

4-Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

The Jan Dhan Yojana is a financial inclusion program of the Government of India open to Indian citizens, that aims to expand affordable access to financial services such as bank accounts, remittances, credit, insurance and pensions.

Launched on August 28, 2014, the scheme has so far provided millions of unbanked Indians access to banking services. This scheme eventually became the foundation of the government's JAM trinity, Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile, which enabled direct transfer of subsidies and welfare payments without leakages.

5 - Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is the Union government's flagship social welfare scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched it on 1 May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.

The scheme aims to provide clean cooking fuel (LPG—Liquefied Petroleum Gas) to poor households, especially in rural areas, to reduce the health hazards caused by cooking with firewood, coal, cow dung, or kerosene.

Over 9 crore connections have been distributed so far.

6 - Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao

Launched on 22 January 2015, the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) scheme is counted as one of Prime Minister Modi’s most high-profile social campaigns.

The campaign aims at addressing the declining child sex ratio, prevent gender-biased sex-selective practices, and promoting education and empowerment of the girl child. It brought together ministries, state governments, and civil society under a mass movement with slogans, outreach programs, and incentives for girl child education.

Over the years, the scheme has been credited with improving enrolment of girls in schools and raising awareness about gender equality.

7- Namami Gange Programme

The Namami Gange Programme was launched in June 2014 as an integrated conservation mission to clean and rejuvenate the river Ganga.

So far, hundreds of sewage treatment plants and river-front projects have been sanctioned under this campaign, and the programme has been given the status of a flagship national mission with dedicated funding and monitoring.

This project focused on sewage treatment, pollution control, and community participation. It was linked to broader sanitation campaigns under Swachh Bharat, while initiatives like Gobar Dhan (converting waste into energy) were integrated.

PM Modi had said the programme was part of his vision for an environmentally sustainable India.

8- Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was launched by PM Modi-led Union government on 22 January 2015 under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. It is basically a a small savings scheme aimed at securing the financial future of the girl child.

The scheme allows parents or legal guardians to open a savings account in the name of a girl child below 10 years of age. The scheme offers one of the highest interest rates among small savings schemes, along with income tax benefits under Section 80C.

The funds can be used for the girl’s education and marriage after she turns 18, ensuring long-term financial security and reducing dependence on loans or informal borrowing.

9-Lakhpati Didi Yojana

The Lakhpati Didi Yojana, a women’s empowerment initiative, was launched by the Modi government in August 2023 to enhance the income of rural women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

The objective of the scheme is to enable at least one crore women to become “Lakhpati Didis” (earning ₹1 lakh or more annually) by supporting them with skill development, financial literacy, and opportunities for entrepreneurship in sectors like agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, and small businesses

10-Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana was renamed and re-launched by Modi government on 1 January 2017 as a maternity benefit scheme aimed at supporting the health and nutrition of pregnant and lactating women.

Under the programme, eligible women receive a direct cash transfer of ₹5,000 in instalments during pregnancy and after childbirth, for their first living child. The scheme was originally launched in 2010 and renamed in 2017.